


Every Single Night, Pray The Sun Will Rise

by Eidraith



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, F/F, Panic Attacks, References to PTSD, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, futuristic AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 15:15:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9663191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eidraith/pseuds/Eidraith
Summary: Over the generations, human biology has developed and changed into something that doesn’t resemble how it was known in the past. The very fabric of human DNA has changed and morphed into 4 different groups which have characteristics that have bonded together due to their similarity. When a child is born their DNA changes and grows along with the child, however when the person becomes 21 this date marks the day that the person stops growing. This results in a fluctuation of personality for the person as all their traits become stronger and a lot more apparent. There are four groups to the new order: Alpha, Sigma, Omega, and Epsilon.Laura Hollis was kept out of a brewing war between The Organisation and The Resistance, until she wasn't.*Not Omegaverse, slow updates, I also started writing this before S3 aired so there aren't Gods in this, sorry. Title taken from Coming Down by Halsey*





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a piece that I tried to write well over a year ago, the idea unraveled in my head into this monster and now I've no idea what to do with it, I have this and the first chapter written but no more than an idea beyond that. I thought I'd put this up to see what reception it gets and then maybe I'd get around to writing the rest. 
> 
> I have no beta and I'm sick of looking at this so there may be some subtle issues with grammar and/or tenses, those are my weaknesses.
> 
> No Gods, no vampires, but a lot of sarcasm and slow burn lesbian subtext. I hope you enjoy.

A flurry of bubbling sounds somewhere in the room, a young girl lay strapped to an operating table below blinding white lights. She shifted slightly as her mind drew her into consciousness; she then smacked her lips to fight off the dryness in her mouth as her eyes opened slowly to adjust to the light. Turning her head to the left to dissuade the powerful brightness above her, she tried to focus her sight on the table near her makeshift bed through the haziness of her mind.

It took a few seconds maybe even a few minutes, time wasn’t something comprehensible in this place, but when her vision finally cleared her gaze fell upon a multitude of instruments placed messily on the surface of the table. They were all stainless steel and looked like tools used for blood transfusion and operations, the sinking feeling in the girl’s stomach told her that these had been recently used and it didn’t take a genius to work out on whom.

The sounds of beeping began to speed up nearby as her heart rate increased, her vision darkened once again as she spun her head around too quickly, hoping that someone would come and get out of this darkness. Something hissed from above her and she noticed the blue liquid slowly seeping from an IV bag suspended above her and into her blood, as her mind began to spin at a mile a minute she was unaware of the door opening at the other side of the room and then closing again silently.

A voice broke through the haze of her panicked mind, it was smooth but made her want to curl up in a corner and cry, she didn’t recognize the voice and couldn’t turn her head to look upon the owner as her vision began to fade once more.

_“Quiet my dear, go to sleep, your body isn’t ready yet, all will be well soon.”_

The girl feels a pressure on her neck and her ears pick up the sound of a plunger being pressed down, before she can even try and cry out for help something begins to burn in her very soul, the feeling takes over her mind and she eventually falls into a state of catharsis.

It’s a horrible feeling, she reflects, being conscious and self-aware but not able to move any muscle in your body. An immeasurable amount of time after her being drugged leads to the sounds of scuffling outside, the door bursts open and something hits the floor. Someone breathes heavily next to the girl and they begin to wheel her bed away from its position.

_Where am I going? Why can’t I speak!_

There is nothing to do but sit and wait for something recognizable to happen, all that can be heard is running footsteps, the squeaking of the wheels, and the breathing of the person guiding her bed. At the rate they are moving, she can guess that the person is in a hurry yet she doesn’t dare to hope that they are trying to help her. She cannot even begin to guess how long they have held her here, let alone what even for. They collide with something which draws her back to reality, the slight stutter in momentum makes her think it was a door being crashed open and now they are moving at a flying pace once more. The feeling of springtime breezes can be felt on her unresponsive skin and the young adult dares to pray that her handler is also her saviour. She begins to panic slightly when they slow a little, there is another feeling of pressure on her neck and she once again falls into slumber.

Sometime later she wakes once more but something is different, there is a faint rumbling sound at the edge of her consciousness, she is in a vehicle. She smiles softly as the sound reminds her of past road trips with her mother and father, her eyes fly open as she realizes, she can move!

It feels like she is trying to move under the weight of an ocean but she manages to lift her hands up and rub the palm of her hands into her eyes to clear some of the fogginess in her vision. She feels the bed dip beside her and a pair of hands grasps her wrists lightly and gently pull them away from her face.

The person above her speaks softly and she has to focus hard to try and make out what they are saying.

_“Hey, it’s okay. I’m getting you out of here but try not to move too much, I can’t let you sit up because your body was put through the blender over the last few days. We’ve no idea how you’re going to react to the changes when you’re fully in control again, sorry about that by the way I had to keep you sedated while I broke you out of there. Just get some rest; I’ll explain everything when we’re back at base, Laura.”_

_‘Laura? Is that my name?’_ The girl wonders.

She tries to clear her mind so she can look at who saved her, she makes out orange hair and a pristine white lab coat, she then feels a rush of warmth through every receptor of her skin as she realizes that she recognizes this person. “LaFontaine…” She murmurs as she falls asleep once again, succumbing to the calling from inside her mind.

LaFontaine shook their head, Laura showed no signs of recognizing her own name which was going to make their job a whole lot harder, they move from their position on the hospital bed and back to the control seat at the front of _‘The Bat’_ as they liked to call it. _‘God bless technology’_ they thought to themselves.

LaFontaine programmed the computer to take a scenic route in case they were being followed by cameras or watch drones, they then sent a quick message to Perry to let the others know that the target had been acquired and they were on their way back. The doctor then sat back in their seat and pondered on what they were going to learn from the girl in the back of the plane, they turned to the side in their seat so they could keep watch over her and thought _‘You’re going to cause us a lot of trouble, little one’._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Carmilla, kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this doesn't give much in terms of insight, but it alludes to some of the things that Laura thinks, feels, and will have to deal with. Also two new faces come into play and another two are mentioned, I hope you enjoy.
> 
> warning: references to a panic attack

“You’re telling me that this girl has no idea who she is?”

LaFontaine sighed as they mixed two solutions together in a beaker that was currently sat on their work bench. “Both Perry and I have looked her over and something’s wrong with her brain, she doesn’t need to be conscious for me to recognize signs of amnesia. She recognized me though which is what I don’t understand.”

The Captain looked pensive. “Her surge is due in a few months, if the experiments were a success then her brain probably isn’t liking the change that’s about to happen. It could kill her, LaFontaine.”

“I know.” They ducked their head. “I’m doing everything I can to keep her stable; she sleeps most of the time anyway. She’s been here for just under a week and I’ve only seen her awake twice. I still don’t know the extent of what they did to her, she’s already a natural Mix so what else could they have used her for?”

“That’s a question we both already know the answer to, Frankenstein. I know how far their ambitions go; they wanted to create the ideal super-soldier so they mix the four types.” The Captain explained as she stretched to relieve the tension in her muscles. “I need to go and see Perry; she said she has a new treatment for me. Call me if anything changes, you’ll have to be the one to tell her everything about us when she stabilizes.”

“ _If_ she stabilizes.” LaFontaine muttered under their breath without meeting the eyes of the woman next to them.

The Captain shoved them lightly. “ _When she stabilizes._ I have faith in you LaFontaine; she’s going to be okay.”

The scientist turned their head and looked for any signs of a lie; the Captain wore her standard outfit of black jeans, a black shirt and combat boots, complete with her gun and holster on her leg. She looked at LaFontaine with a raised eyebrow and a piercing stare that dared them to try and contradict her.

“Understood, _Captain._ ” They wiggled their eyebrows.

“You’re the only one that uses that title to mock me, be glad I let you do it.”

LaFontaine chuckled as they turned back to their bench. “Get out of my lab, Karnstein. I have work to do; shouldn’t you be off beating the stuffing out of Lawrence?”

The Captain smirked. “When I train, I like a challenge.”

“Wait until I get Laura back on her feet, she’ll wipe the floor with you.”

“I look forward to it.” She called over her shoulder as she walked up the stairs to the door of the lab.

* * *

 

_Laura._

_Your name is Laura._

A shocking sense of déjà vu floods her mind as she opens her eyes, the room she is in is a lot brighter than where she was previously held, and a lot cleaner. She looked down at her body and sees that she isn’t wearing any restraints and has been clothed in a hospital-standard gown, she then lifts her head up tentatively and almost groaned at the realization that there was no pain in her head or the rest of her body. Laura gripped the sides of her hospital bed and gently pulled herself into a sitting position; she looked around and looked for anything that marked out where she was. She noticed a pile of clothing at the end of her bed: A white shirt, black jeans, a pair of socks and a pair of converse. She then swung her legs over the side of the bed and gently lowered herself on to the floor, wincing at the cold feeling.

Laura pulled the clothes on slowly, not wanting to make too much noise just in case she was still being held by her previous captors. She couldn’t remember anything about herself but she could remember a few faces and names including the person that had brought her to a vehicle, LaFontaine, and this person calling her _Laura_. She could feel _everything_ , her blood seemed to buzz as it moved through her body, she could feel a new energy in her bones that made her want to sprint, so she moved faster to finish putting on the outfit. In her hurry Laura zipped up her jeans too quickly and caught her skin in the zip, there was a small cut on her finger which wasn’t bleeding a lot, but bleeding all the same.

She placed the injured finger in the palm of her other hand and winced when she applied pressure to stem the flow of blood, her eyes were drawn back to her hand as she felt a welcoming warmth shoot through her arm and envelop her hands. There was no physical evidence of the feeling she had just experienced, which made Laura pout slightly, she moved her hand to look at the cut to see that it had completely healed.

 _What the fu-_ She thought before a crash sounded from outside her door.

She could hear a person swearing under their breath and grunting with exertion as they presumably picked up whatever they had dropped, Laura stealthily moved over to the door and tested the handle, it was unlocked.

 _Why leave me with no restraints and my door unlocked if they mean to keep me here?_ She questioned internally. Turning back to survey the room, there was a glass of water next to her bed that she hadn’t noticed along with a small cardboard box, she moved over toward the box and cautiously lifted the lid. A gasp tore its way out of her mouth and she clapped a hand over it to try and not make any sound as she struggled to stabilize her ragged breathing. Inside was a small picture frame, the photo looked a few years old; in the picture there was a group of people grinning wildly at the camera. Laura found herself running the tip of her finger over the smiles of these people, they were awfully familiar. Her eyes found the only adults within the picture; a man with a round face and a mostly bald head stared back at her, eyes bright as he had his arms around a woman, and what appeared to be a younger version of her? The woman on his other side was small, she had the same light brown hair colour that Laura did, and her eyes were an emerald green that was only outshone by her smile.

 _These are my parents…_ Laura thought to herself, a wistful sigh escaping her lips, her eyes moved to the three other people in the photo. One was a lanky boy who had close cropped hair and a grin that looked like it had been permanently etched into his face, there was a girl with curly ginger hair who wore a reserved smile and seemed very prim and proper at the neatness of her outfit, the final person in the photo was who rescued Laura earlier. _She looks good-_

 _Wait no._ Laura chastised herself. _LaFontaine is non-binary, they and them pronouns, I should have remembered that._

Looking back to the box, there was a pink post-it note at the bottom with writing on it.

_Laura._

_I don’t know if you’ll remember, but this is from my room, I thought I’d leave it for you to find just as a reassurance that we’re here to help. Obviously you know me, LaFontaine, but the others in the photo are your parents, Perry and Kirsch._

_When you’re ready to get some answers, come find one of us and we’ll talk._

_Your friend_

_LaF._

Laura shook her head wildly, there was no way this was real, and this was another test. She placed the heels of her palms over her eyes and pushed, spots began to form in her vision as she inexorably tried to block out the images that were pushing their way to the forefront of her mind.

_The tightening of her throat as her head is pushed under a metal box filled with water, the sounds of the boy crying out for help, the feeling of ropes cutting into her wrists, the darkness seeping into her vision as she is strangled by one of her guards, the feeling of blood pouring over hands as she makes her first ki-_

Laura presses her hands against her eyes harder, trying desperately to calm herself down, she feels the walls begin to close in on her and her breathing become shorter. _I'm going to pass out, I'm never going to get out of here, I'm never going to see Dad again-_

Her throat closes as she cries out, her legs can no longer support her weight and she falls to the floor, it takes a monumental effort to move her arms so she can cover her ears as the tears begin to pour down her face and don't stop flowing. Laura's limbs become so tense it feels like she has blocks of concrete attached to her body, her breathing speeds up as her temperature goes up and her mouth is suddenly painfully dry, her vision darkens slightly and Laura prays she doesn't lose consciousness.

* * *

 

She wakes up in the bed again.

There are still no restraints and she is still wearing the same clothes she put on when she last woke up, nothing has changed except the glass of water has moved closer to the bed, obviously an attempt to get her to drink something. 

Laura pulls herself out of the bed again and lifts her arms up at stretches them as far as her reach will go, she finds herself grateful for the space and the cool temperature surrounding her skin in comparison to the uncomfortable heat that she felt during her panic attack. She runs her hands over her skin to make sure there are no injuries, her stomach drops slightly as her fingers pass over the raised skin of some of her recent scars, evidence of the images that still lurk in the back of her mind and wait patiently for a vulnerable moment to strike. 

The prisoner cracks her knuckles and twists her body, sighing in pleasure as her bones crack, causing her to feel more loose and limber than her stress levels would suggest. She looks up at the ceiling and mutters a small prayer to her mother and father that she makes it out alive, she so desperately wants to see them again, even if she doesn't actually remember everything about them.

* * *

 

 

Walking slowly toward the oddly standard steel door, Laura pressed her ear against it once more and breathed a sigh of relief that she couldn’t hear anything; her hand reached down and turned the handle slowly. Her breath stopped as the door creaked slightly as she cautiously pulled it open; sticking her head out into the hallway she crept out of her makeshift prison and darted behind some excess wall. Taking a few deep breaths to lower her heart rate, she also fiddled with the hem of her shirt as she desperately tried to come up with a plan. Deciding that the more time she stood there, the easier it would be for her to be discovered, after the count of three, Laura left her little sanctuary and crept down the hallway. Making sure she made no sound with her shoes hitting the concrete flooring, Laura made sure to make a note of her surroundings, the very clinical look of the interior made her think hospital or military, at the very least privatized or built in a rush. She also hadn’t seen any windows as she passed an intersection with additional corridors, all with the same steel doors as her cell, and all closed, yet no one around. Was she underground? _So I’m underground, that means I need to find some way up._ She continued to deliberate as she came up to a dead end with a single door, not having anything to lose, she quietly opened the door and slipped through. What lie on the other side was exactly the same as before, another stretch of corridor. Laura grumbled under her breath about stupidly consistent villains as she moved quickly through the next area of wherever-she-was. Her mind turned back to the fragments she recollected since her kidnapping and she tried to put the pieces together.

_Well I healed myself, only Primary Epsilon’s can do that, I’m Primary Sigma and couldn’t heal any of my scrapes when I was a kid. How did I manage to rationalize my situation before freaking out and falling back on my mediocre detective skills? I could have sworn the metal of that door handle gave way a little when I opened the door too, what in the name of Skrillex is going on? I-_

“Enjoying your little internal monologue there, cupcake?”

Laura wasn’t even aware she was turning around until she was staring her assailant straight in the face, her muscles tense and ready to spring into action. She looked this woman up and down, taking a note of her military-ish presence even though she was leaning against a wall with one foot braced against it and her arms crossed. Laura felt her eyes lower and her stance became more defensive when she noticed the gun strapped to her thigh, the dark-haired woman raised an eyebrow at her and the right side of her lip rose in a smirk.

“Who the frilly hell are you?”

She scoffed. “Well looks like the experimenting did nothing for your intimidation levels, I run this place.”

“You’re the one who did this to me?” Laura could feel her emotions crawling through her like a disease; she clenched her fists in order to keep a level head.

The woman’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not in control.”

“In control of what?”

“Yourself.”

Laura gaped, exasperated. There was something about this woman that just made her want to punch her. Her eyes traveled past the woman and landed on something dark grey behind her – an elevator!

The soldier’s head leaned slightly in the direction that Laura was looking and she smirked _again_. “I can’t let you leave, I’m afraid.”

Laura’s teeth clenched, she really wanted to smack that smug look of this woman’s face. “What if I’m not giving you a choice?”

“I’d like to see you try and get past me.”

Laura leaped forward and broke into a sprint, feeling exhilarated at her speed, she was about to jump around the woman so this didn’t have to end in violence, but she was knocked down by a lightning fast punch before she had time to dodge.

Laura hit the floor and cursed, she jumped up just as her enemy was descending on her, she felt the punch coming towards her before a fist was even raised so she ducked under the woman’s arm as it moved and swung her fist into the soldier’s face. She flew back and hit the floor, and then Laura took off running before she could get up.

Once again before she could reach the elevator she was hit over the head with something harder than a fist, Laura crashed into the wall and hit her head on the floor, the soldier sat with her legs either side of Laura’s torso and pinned her arms underneath her shins.

“Stay down, don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be”

Laura struggled violently and almost knocked the woman off her, the leg pinning her right arm was lifted for a moment before being held down again by the arm that wasn’t holding a gun.

“I’m not letting you take me back in there!” Laura spat.

“We’re not the enemy!” The soldier gritted her teeth.

Their faces drew nearer as they yelled at each other; a man closed in from the side and stared, his face blank.

“Captain.” He cleared his throat.

The Captain turned her head slightly to the side to look at the man; Laura noticed similarities between them, related maybe?

Taking her chance, Laura threw her head forward and connected her forehead with the woman’s nose. They both yelled in pain and the Captain looked down practically seething.

“Carmilla, no!” The man at the side yelled.

The last thing Laura knew was the woman pulling her arm back and something metallic rushing towards her head, then a splitting pain, and then blackness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now I know pistol whipping is a common trick in films and tv, but it actually is more likely to give you permanent brain damage or kill you than simply knock you out, but take some liberties for me pls.
> 
> So here we have Carmilla! I'm assuming you all will guess who the person who appears at the end, and we'll get some answers next chapter about the four types and why Laura is with our favourite gang of misfits.
> 
> Don't forget to kudos, comment and subscribe... please? I'm thirsty for validation, I'm afraid.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is Chapter Two! (three technically? idk)
> 
> In this one we get a tiny bit of backstory, Kirsch is a lovable idiot with his timing, LaFontaine is increasingly more OOC (there's a reason for this, don't yell at me), and Carmilla is still sarcastic as hell.

“You have got to be kidding me…”

Carmilla’s expression didn’t change. “I told you what happened, didn’t I? There’s nothing we can do to change that now”

LaFontaine spun around to face her. “No. You don’t get to be all cool and disaffected right now. We literally had a conversation _this morning_ about how fragile she is, and what did you do? Hit her around the head with the butt of your gun.”

“What else was I supposed to do, let her hit me until my desperate pleading could break through her amnesia-ridden mind? I never pegged you for a believer in movie clichés, LaFontaine.”

The doctor closed their eyes and took a _very_ deep breath. “Just get out.”

Carmilla’s folded arms fell to her side as she glared. “You don’t tell me what to do-“

“You almost killed her!” LaF interrupted. “I know you, Carmilla. I know that you would have had a plan for every outcome in that fight, I know you would have known how to subdue Laura without hurting her too badly, but no you had to go and get angry because you couldn’t handle the fact that Laura would probably have beaten you in that fight… Your ego is going to get us all killed.”

Carmilla’s eyes darkened, LaFontaine’s entire body tensed as they realized what they had just said.

“Captain wait!”

The door had already been slammed on her way out.

The doctor looked at the ceiling and sighed, the door opened again with a soft click and they knew who it was before a sound was even uttered.

“She’ll calm down eventually; she knows you don’t mean any offence, even Laura won’t wake up after taking a hit like that just yet. I’ve got hot cocoa in the kitchen and some grilled cheese, I know you’ve not eaten a proper meal since she arrived and that just won’t do.”

“Okay Perr, I suppose she can be left alone for a few minutes.”

That same soft click sounded again as the two left the room and began to walk away.

Laura opened her eyes.

* * *

 

Laura had become good at observation during her time with whoever-had-her-hostage, yet nothing about these people she supposedly knew was making sense? The only thing that she was certain of was that this was another simulation, what it was testing she had no idea.

Her sight focused on her periphery vision and the walls of the new room she was being kept in, there had to be some difference, some kind of mark that showed that this place was just in her head. The comfort that washed over her when she heard LaFontaine’s typical bluntness and Perry’s mothering, it was _all_ in her head.

It had to be.

* * *

 

Three floors up, Carmilla stood in the surveillance room and watched as their new guest ran her hands over the walls muttering to herself.

“What in God’s name is she doing?” She drawled.

The man sitting next to her cocked his head to the left. “Testing the wall thickness?”

“That was idiotic, even for you…”

He pouted slightly, making his well-structured face appear to be the teenager his personality showed him to be. “Rude, Kitty. So rude.”

“I thought I told you to stop calling me that, William” Carmilla growled.

Will smirked and stood up from his chair, sighing as he felt his knees crack. “I thought you knew that I’m your little brother, I’m meant to annoy you.”

The Captain sighed. “Go make yourself useful for a change, and send for LaF. Maybe they can make sense of whatever she’s doing.”

Will mockingly saluted. “Yes sir, Captain Sir!”

He quickly ducked out of the room before she could throw something at him. Carmilla turned back to the screens in front of her and narrowed her eyes, Laura was visibly agitated, and she skittered around the room as if she was waiting for attack. Her eyes darted from place to place and even from the camera, the muscles moving under taut skin could be seen.

Carmilla rolled her eyes at William’s incompetence and looked at the other screens to locate LaFontaine, she pressed a finger to the small device in her ear and when the small beep sounded she began to talk. “LaFontaine, Surveillance Room now, you need to see this.”

She saw LaFontaine listen to the message and return a message of affirmative before saying something to Perry and then dashing out of the room, they were jumping from screen to screen as they advanced through the building, briefly disappearing as they headed into the elevator and moved up three floors, the door to Carmilla’s left burst open and the heavy footfalls would have let her know it was LaFontaine even if she wasn’t looking at the cameras.

“What’s going on?” They wasted no time as usual.

Carmilla pointed at the screen that was connected to the camera in Laura’s room, LaFontaine looked and frowned. “What the hell?” They muttered.

* * *

 

Laura frantically looked around for a blip, a mark, literally anything but there was nothing? Everything was _perfect_ , and that meant she couldn’t get out of here.

“You win, okay? I don’t know how to escape! I lose, you win, as normal! Now let me go!” She yelled.

No response.

“Give me a clue! That’s what you want, right? Me to beg for your help? Well I am! Stop using my friends to torture me! You already showed me what happened to them!”

No response.

Laura screamed.

Her fists hit the wall, repeatedly.

* * *

 

LaFontaine lost their usual indifferent look. “What does she mean, what happened to us?”

Carmilla’s facial features tightened. “I think I might know, she-“

Laura started screaming.

The seat spun around from the force of LaFontaine bolting from the room, Carmilla ran after them and heard LaF talking into their Comm.

_“Perry get to Laura’s room now!”_

The Captain heard Perry’s response through their shared network, no doubt William, Lawrence and Kirsch would have heard too. She got ahead of LaFontaine and shouldered the door to the stairs open and began to take the stairs downwards at two, even three at a time, LaFontaine not far behind.

Carmilla’s blood pounded in her ears as she broke out on to the floor and noticed Perry spinning to look at her and LaFontaine, the sounds of Laura’s rage even louder now, Carmilla held in her sarcastic comment as she noticed Perry’s worrying over LaFontaine who had their hands braced on their knees as they caught their breath.

“You… need to… calm her” LaFontaine coughed out between deep breaths.

Perry’s eyes widened, she began to shake her head and splutter her protests but LaFontaine took her hands and made sure to look into her eyes.

“ _Please_ Perr, I can’t drug her again yet we don’t know what it’ll do her system. Plus if you lower her chances destroying the wall in there, then we might get a look at how she responds to the groups when they aren’t a threat. You might even get a look at what happened to her.”

Perry still looked unsure. “Are you sure this is our only option?”

LaF nodded grimly.

Carmilla stood by the door to Laura’s room, ready to go in first, however before she could move LaFontaine pulled her back with a hand on her shoulder.

“What are you-“

“She’s seen your face but only as an attacker, she’ll freak out if you go in there now, Perry and I are her friends.” The Doctor explained.

Carmilla gritted her teeth but nodded and moved to the side.

Perry took a deep breath and placed her hand on the door handle, her hand shook when she heard Laura scream again. LaFontaine walked forward and whispered something in her ear that Carmilla couldn’t make out, and then Perry pushed the handle down and stepped into the room.

“If there’s any trouble I’m going in there” Carmilla stated with her arms crossed. “I’m not risking Perry just to protect your friend’s mind.”

LaFontaine allowed a small smile “So you do care?”

Carmilla glared.

Their eyebrows rose. “Or not.”

* * *

 

Perry closed the door behind her with a soft click, Laura’s ears caught the sound and she spun around.

“L- Laura?” She spoke softly, not moving an inch.

“Perry?” Laura looked heartbroken.

The curly-haired woman dared to take a step forward, ceasing her movement when she saw Laura’s hand make a fist. Perry raised her hands in a move of submissiveness, she side-stepped to the left slowly until she reached the chair against the wall opposite the woman in front of her and sat in it.

“You’re not real…” Laura whispered.

“I assure you, I am?” Perry’s eyebrows drew together.

Laura breathed a laugh. “They really did well this time, even your facial expressions are perfect, and I can’t see a single mistake.” She turned her head to the ceiling. “Did you hire a new set designer or something? I’m impressed”

Perry rose to her feet. “Why do you think we’re not real?”

Laura’s gaze focused back on her. “I was shown what happened to you, I saw every detail over and over again. You, LaF and Kirsch.”

Perry took a couple of steps as Laura’s voice began to soften.

“I don’t even know why I’m telling you this; this will all be over soon. I guess I miss you guys.” Her feet began to kick at the floor, taking no notice of her bleeding knuckles.

Soon enough, Perry had gotten within arm’s reach of her, but she didn't dare move yet. “You’re home with us now, Laura. LaFontaine broke you out of that place, you’ve been recovering here, and don’t you remember the conversation you had in the ship?”

Laura’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not selling your case very well; She normally does better than this. Maybe I’m just getting used to it.”

“She?” Perry questioned.

A soft beep sounded in her ear, it was Carmilla. _“Who do you think?”_

Laura’s jaw tightened. “Is that her, the one who attacked me?”

Perry ignored Carmilla’s order to not answer that. “Yes it’s her, do you know who she is?”

“She looks like Her.”

Laura’s hands began to shake again as she uttered the name, it was LaFontaine in Perry’s ear this time. _“How can she hear our Comms? Maybe it’s time to back away, Perr”_

Perry gently raised her hand up into the space between the two of them. “You remember my group?”

Laura looked at the hand warily. “Pure epsilon.”

Perry nodded and kept her tone soft and light. “That’s right; let me prove to you why this is real?”

“The Sight will be manufactured, you won’t make me believe.”

She didn’t let that dissuade her, Perry moved her hand closer and rested it on Laura’s cheek, grimacing at the unfamiliar feeling that wasn’t what she had always associated with the woman. Laura’s eyes closed at the pure contentedness that took over her mind as images began to flicker in front of her eyes.

* * *

 

_LaFontaine’s experimental rocket boots lay on a table broken after the latest test run, Perry hovered over the 15-year-old scientist with an anti-septic covered cloth, and she ran the cloth over LaFontaine’s cuts while she muttered about idiotic schemes. A 12-year-old Laura stood on a box near the work bench and reached up to grab the chocolate bar that Kirsch was dangling above her head._

* * *

 

_Perry walked out of the classroom with a smile on her face, LaFontaine grinned at her and they began to talk about the answers they found on the question paper, as soon as they reached the corner of the school hallway they headed towards the main doors to the school. A fellow student held the door open for the two and they nodded their thanks as they passed over the threshold and welcomed the sun’s warmth that passed over them._

_Perry turned her head to the side and saw Laura and Kirsch lying face down in the grass, no consideration for their white shirts, she noted disapprovingly._

_LaF sniggered as Kirsch’s snoring could be heard from where they were stood thirty feet away, when they reached the sleeping duo’s side, Perry sighed with a mix of exasperation and affection. “I told them to not stay up all night studying.”_

* * *

 

_There had been no news._

_Laura had been gone for three months._

_Sleep was a rarity._

_Perry was in the kitchen working on her third batch of chocolate brownies before she returned to the study, she could hear LaFontaine’s frustration without being in the same room as them and it was taking its toll on all of them, but there was no way they were giving up._

_The coffee finished brewing and Perry took a tray with three mugs and a large plate of cooling brownies back into the room they now barely left. No one raised a head as she entered, the only thing that would get their attention was news, and that would only come from their brains and computers inside that room._

_“I can’t understand why The Gears didn’t say that there was a struggle unless they had something to do with it? Every private company now has their own division of Gears, it’ll take weeks to narrow down the list to find even a lead.” LaFontaine ran a hand through their hair in frustration._

_Kirsch was stood to the side, offering ideas where he could, he wasn’t the smartest but he was trying._

_“We’d better get busy then” Perry spoke. “Let’s start with the name in the announcement and see if that gives us anything.”_

_LaFontaine nodded and moved to the computer. “Did you get a hold of Sherman?”_

_Perry’s mouth turned even further down. “He hasn’t answered his phone since Laura’s disappearance.”_

_Kirsch looked at her. “I’m sure he’s fine.”_

* * *

 

_Perry was walking through a new building and observing how shockingly white everything was, it was a jarring adjustment to her eyes. She looked to the other end of the room where a woman clad in black jeans and a white shirt stood with one hand on her hip and the other on the gun in her holster._

_LaFontaine struck out a hand and the woman clasped it with the one on her gun and they shook twice before letting go._

_“Here’s the deal, we help you get your friend back, and you help us take down The Organisation.” The woman’s silky voice curled over the words._

_The recently appointed Doctor nodded. “Deal.” They spoke seriously._

_A moment of silence._

_“Awesome! We get to be rebels!” Kirsch punched the air._

* * *

 

Laura had drawn closer during the onslaught of information that was forcing its way into her head; her own hand had raised and found its way to Perry’s cheek.

The ginger haired woman reared back in shock and staggered back on to the bed, Laura stumbled back slightly at the unprepared loss of connection, and fell to her knees.

Carmilla’s voice sounded in Perry’s ear but she couldn’t bring herself to respond, her eyes couldn’t tear away from Laura kneeling and sobbing form on the floor as LaFontaine burst into the room, they immediately moved to Perry’s side and made sure she wasn’t hurt. Carmilla followed not long after, followed by Kirsch who moved to Laura’s side.

LaFontaine placed a hand under Perry’s chin and lifted her face to look at them. “Perry? What did you see?”

“There’s something wrong, she’s not the Laura we knew back then, her blood…” Perry fell silent for a few moments. “She’s not a sigma and epsilon mix anymore, I caught snippets of what they did to her but not everything. She’s suffered so much…”

Perry buried her face into LaFontaine’s shoulder as she began to cry.

Kirsch had an unconscious Laura in his arms when he drew the room’s attention to him. “I think her crying tired her out, she just passed out.”

LaFontaine stood up with Perry before passing her off to Carmilla, who seemed incredibly uncomfortable with the situation, and motioned for Kirsch to lay her down on the bed.

He moved to do what they said and then moved to stand near the door.

“We’re not leaving.” Carmilla spoke. “When Perry calms down and Laura wakes up, she’s getting our story, we can’t keep letting her wake up and stress herself out until the point she collapses.”

LaFontaine nodded. The group all got comfortable in their positions and waited, looking at the seemingly peaceful woman on the bed who had curled up on her side with the tear tracks still lingering on her cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> I know the whole exposition through dialogue and flashbacks isn't everyone's cup of tea but I'm trying to not make this a sixty chapter monster because I really need to have this done before exam season starts and I inevitably end up abandoning it for a year. It's 3AM and I just knocked all this out in one go, I haven't edited it either so it is probably messy af too.
> 
> You get the explanation next chapter, I promise! Not for Laura, that'll come in time, but you'll get a basic explanation of the groups and some backstory.
> 
> Also The Gears are the equivalent of a privatized police force, the area a crime occurs decides which unit goes in and deals with it. However the public aren't aware of what unit works for who because company policy states that business involving services and money is no business of anyone who isn't a part of the transaction, which also conveniently covers up all the shady business.
> 
> Leave me all your kudos, comments and subscriptions pls. I'm a gay in need.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not necessarily happy with this, but I just realised that it's been too long since I updated, so here's a rushed chapter while I plan out my Beronica fic and revise for my exams.
> 
> You get some insight, but I'll leave some questions unanswered, as always.
> 
> Enjoy!

It was a long night.

Laura spent more time unconscious than conscious and she was in no way clear-headed enough for the conversation that needed to happen, Perry had ushered everyone out around half an hour ago claiming that she had dressed the woman enough as a drunk teenager that it was perfectly fine for her to change Laura into some more comfortable sweatpants and one of Kirsch’s t-shirts.

Carmilla, LaFontaine, Danny and Kirsch sat in their makeshift dining area with grim expressions and pretended to not hear Perry’s soft crying over her still-open comm.

“We need to find out what Perry knows.” Danny muttered to break the silence.

Kirsch’s eyebrows furrowed. “What d’ya mean, D-Bear?”

She rolled her eyes at the puppy’s incessant nicknaming. “She saw something when Laura began to fall into her, sure she was too freaked out to tell us what, but we need to know?”

Everyone turned to look at LaFontaine; they sighed and rubbed the middle of their forehead before nodding in agreement. Carmilla took a hold of the Holo-unit on the table and motioned from left to right until she found access to the camera feed, she scrolled through each camera until she arrived at Laura’s room.

The four bent over the holographic screen and saw Perry gently massaging the skin between Laura’s eyebrows, her mouth was moving as if she was talking but the smoothness of her enunciation made it look as if she was singing.

“She’s singing Laura a lullaby…” Kirsch whispered.

Carmilla and Danny just looked at the two sat with them in confusion, LaFontaine smiled sadly as they explained. “When we were kids, something happened to Laura and she started having panic attacks and she struggled to sleep, we always made sure to look after her when it got difficult. She got annoyed with it a few times but she knew it was coming from a good place, we all learnt a few lullabies and used to sing them to her to get her to relax, Perry obviously hasn’t kicked the habit.”

“What happened to her?” Danny asked.

Kirsch went to open his mouth but LaFontaine shook their head. “It’s not our place to say”

Carmilla went to argue. “This might be something we need to be aware of though-“

They cut her off. “No. If it’s something she wants to explain when she’s in a place to be able to safely relive it then fine, but until then it isn’t something you need to know.”

Carmilla pursed her lips but didn’t raise the issue again, she stood up and moved to the kitchen, the sound of the fridge opening and closing before she moved to join the group again with a glass in her hand.

“You wonder why everyone around here thinks you’re a vampire” Danny wrinkled her nose at the blood red drink in the glass.

The Captain flipped her off. “Where’s your sword, Xena?”

Danny glared at her, the drink was a mixture of chemicals which was meant to help keep Carmilla’s strength up during the course of her treatments, but she added a thick strawberry liquid to it also to give it some flavour and its ‘blood-like’ colouring.

* * *

 

They moved back into Laura’s room when Carmilla had finished her drink, upon entering LaFontaine immediately moved to their patient’s side and checked her over, after flashing a light in her eyes to check pupil response and looking over the cuts and bruises she’d given herself during her panic attack, they stood back and began to speak. “She’s alright, I’ve taken her off the general anesthesia so she’ll wake up in her own time, we might be here a while.”

There was a collective sigh of relief, Danny disappeared from the room to get more chairs, Carmilla stood as an outsider to the show of affection that was happening between the three people in front of her, and Kirsch stood between LaFontaine and Perry with his long arms around both of their shoulders. They all wore similar looks that showed a battle between relief, worry and pure heartache.

“She’ll be alright bros; Little L always came back to us eventually.” Kirsch said quietly.

Perry smiled thinly. “Always so eloquent, Kirsch, I’m just worried the Laura we get back won’t be the one we remember”.

LaFontaine turned their head to look at her. “Don’t worry Perr; we’ll deal with it as it happens”.

They linked hands and stood over Laura like some kind of guardian angels, Carmilla’s head leaned to the left as she pondered on what was going on in front of her, the moment was broken by Danny’s return and they all took their seats and waited.

Waited for any signs of consciousness from the confusing girl in front of them.

* * *

 

Laura started to twitch at around 3AM.

Perry was curled up in the chair, LaFontaine had moved their chair next to hers and let her use their shoulder as a makeshift pillow. Danny and Kirsch were sat at opposite sides of the room in their own respective chairs, both sprawled out in a similar manner, which came as great amusement to Carmilla after months or arguments with Danny about them being spliced from the same beanstalk.

A movement out of the corner of her eye caused her head to turn to the side, Laura’s eyes were moving furiously beneath closed eyelids, and Carmilla rose from her chair and moved cautiously to her side. “Laura?” She whispered.

The woman on her bed made a sound of annoyance and turned her head away from Carmilla, which caused her to smile, it was kind of cute.  She sat on the small space on the bed besides Laura’s still sleeping form and began to repeat the rhythmic pattern on her forehead that she had seen Perry do earlier. Laura sighed and her head relaxed back into the pillow, her eyes began to flutter and they opened slowly, the sleepy glaze still very much present.

Carmilla took a pen from her pocket and threw it at the sleeping couple not too far from her, Perry’s squawk of protest told her that she made a direct hit; soon enough LaFontaine and Perry were at her side and slowly coaxing Laura out of her unconsciousness.

* * *

 

By the time Laura was coherent, Danny and Kirsch had woken up and were stood to the side watching and Carmilla had taken up her resident position of leaning against the furthest wall with one foot against the wall and her arms folded.

“So what’s the punishment this time?” Laura speaks from her position on the bed, she looked relaxed but her gaze shifted from person to person every few seconds, constantly aware of any potential threat surrounding her.

“We’re here to try and convince you this is real, how do we do that Laur?” Kirsch asked.

“Not exactly my job is it? My job is to resist this for as long as I can so the big boss lady gets her data and uses me for Skrillex knows what else in her bid for whatever she’s after.” Laura snorts.

“You’re talking about the woman who looks like me, aren’t you.” Carmilla states, drawing the attention of their new guest.

Laura’s hand gripped the rail hard, her jaw clenched as she looked at the mystery woman in front of her. “Yes, she looks like you. I get why you guys are here” she motions to the people stood nearest to her “but the vampire and the warrior princess I don’t understand?”

Perry’s jaw hadn’t risen from the floor since her friend regained consciousness, this was not Laura.

“Believe it or not, sunshine, we’re here to help.” Carmilla drawled. “Now are you going to let us help, or do I need to kick your ass again?”

She didn’t need to look away from Laura to know how hard the scientist and the mother hen were glaring at her in that moment.

Laura’s eyebrow rose. “How do you think you’re going to make me believe this is real? You don’t think I’ve not already been through this a million times? There’s not much else you can make me do after I’ve already k-“

Her jaw clamped shut and she closed her eyes, her grip on the rail became tighter and the metal caved slightly under her grip. LaFontaine’s eyes widened as they witnessed their friend’s internal battle, the strength was new.

“Do you have any memories that will convince her that this is real, and not a simulation?” Carmilla asked, turning to look at the others.

Perry shook her head. “We don’t know what memories they would have had access to.”

Carmilla motioned to Danny. “Do you still have the Holo or is it back in the kitchen?”

The taller woman pulled the two connected metal rectangles out of her back pocket and threw them at The Captain; Carmilla caught it with ease and pressed the metal button on the side of one of the rectangles. The Holo split apart, revealing the holographic screen inside, resembling a tablet from the old days; she slid a finger along the screen and searched for their photo albums.

She noticed everyone watching what she was doing. “Get Laura calm, I might have an idea.”

Perry, LaFontaine and Kirsch all moved to Laura’s side and whispered calming words while Danny moved to Carmilla’s side. “What are you thinking?”

The Captain didn’t answer for a moment. “My mother has access to all her memories, right?” At Danny’s nod she continued. “Well it might be the same machine that she built by testing it on William and I, and if I’m right we may be able to prove we’re not a simulation. Before LaFontaine broke Hollis out of there, they took photos of all the regularly used equipment so we could try and work out what’s happened to her, they’re in here.”

The only words uttered in that moment were LaFontaine and Kirsch talking about the time they rebuilt an old motorcycle in Laura’s garage and when Sherman found out he made them all wear safety helmets whenever they even entered the space, Perry had stepped back and began to rub her hands together nervously.

“You alright there, Betty Crocker?” Carmilla asked without looking up from her scanning.

“I don’t mean to be regressive to your own progress, Carmilla.” Perry began.

 _Oh wonderful, my tragic backstory_ , Carmilla thought to herself before phasing back in to the conversation.

“What are the simulations?” Perry finished.

“Hell.” Carmilla replied before clicking on an image.

She moved to Laura’s other side with her hands in a submissive position, the woman on the bed moved towards Kirsch on the other side, as if seeking protection.

Small progress is better than none.

“The machine that was used for your simulations, did it look like this?” Carmilla turned the Holo around so Laura could see the screen. There was a machine that resembled an electric chair, it had an IV drip next to it and a head piece with some circular gaps in it, Carmilla knew all too well what those gaps contained when someone was in the chair.

Laura inhaled quickly and turned her head away from the screen; Carmilla tossed the Holo in Danny’s direction and took Laura’s hand. “It’s not here; we won’t put you through that I promise.”

Laura was shaking her head furiously. “No, you’re telling me what’s going to happen as soon as this ends, I can’t go back in there, please it hurts so much!”

“It happened to me too!” Carmilla maintained a soft grip on Laura’s hands as she spoke as to not frighten her. “I was her prisoner too, I wouldn’t do that to anyone I promise, I know how much it hurts.”

Laura’s eyes opened but she still wore a disbelieving look on her tear-stained face. “You can’t know what that hell was like.”

Carmilla smiled grimly, she raised Laura’s hand with her own and placed it on her forehead, gently tracing the circular scars that matched the gaps in the headpiece in the picture, Laura had moved towards Carmilla to examine the marks, who kept her head down so nothing would startle the girl in front of her.

Without turning her head from Laura’s sudden fixation with Carmilla’s scars, she spoke to Perry. “You need an emotional memory that the machine wouldn’t be able to touch, it can’t replicate truly emotional memories to the exact level, and she’ll know this is real by feeling.”

LaFontaine racked their brains for a solution, but it came in the form of Kirsch, he stepped forward and stood in Laura’s eye line. He then opened his mouth and began to sing in a soft voice.

 _A gentle breeze from Hushabye Mountain_  
softly blows over Lullaby Bay,   
It fills the sails of boats that are waiting,   
waiting to sail your worries away.

Perry sighed and smiled, Kirsch was a genius, she moved to his side and her voice joined his song.

 _It isn't far to Hushabye Mountain,_  
and your boat waits down by the quay.  
The winds of night so softly are sighing;   
soon they will fly your troubles to sea.

Laura looked up at her friends, her mouth was wide open and tears could already be seen in her eyes, she looked at LaFontaine who had also begun to mutter the lyrics. A warm feeling travelled through her body, a feeling she hadn’t known for a long time, how the hell she managed to get a hold of this, unless-

 _So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain,_  
Wave goodbye to cares of the day,   
and watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain  
Sail far away from Lullaby Bay.

Carmilla slowly moved away from the group and watched as Laura began to sing softly also, a confused expression on her face, was it working?

 _So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain,_  
Wave goodbye to cares of the day,   
and watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain  
Sail far away from Lullaby Bay.

There was so much tension as the song came to a close, which was painfully ironic given that it was a lullaby, Laura looked from Perry to Kirsch and then to LaFontaine. “Is it really you guys?”

Perry laughed uncontrollably for a second, scaring the wits out of everyone surrounding her, she moved closer to Laura and took her by the hand; gently her cut and bruised knuckles. “It’s really us, Laura; we got you out of there.”

LaFontaine sagged slightly, losing some of the rigidity that they’d been carrying since Laura had gone missing. “It’s good to have you back, Hollis.”

Carmilla motioned to Danny to leave the room, they quickly moved away and took notice of Laura’s eyes still following them. When they got outside Carmilla punched her arm.

“She still doesn’t trust us, let the foursome catch up for a while, we’ll deal with the heavy stuff later.”

Danny grinned. “Careful Karnstein, people might think you care.”

The Captain pursed her lips. “Yeah, well I don’t need her losing it and torching all our stuff. Don’t let your guard down, Lawrence; this isn’t going to be smooth sailing. It’ll take a while for her to gully trust us, let the Ginger Twins and the puppy get her calm before we go in with an explanation.”

They nodded to each other in agreement, before turning away to find something to occupy the time with, Danny headed towards the gym, and Carmilla headed to her bed for a well-earned nap.

* * *

 

A few hours later, the group were all in Laura’s room again, Carmilla had been summoned and looked as annoyed as she felt. Laura looked a sight better than she had done earlier, she still looked around as if expecting an attack, but she’d lost the attitude and was slightly easier to talk to.

“I need an explanation, what the hell happened to me?” She demanded, for someone in a position so vulnerable, it was hard to not take her seriously.

LaFontaine had pulled their seat next to her bed and started to explain in a soft voice.

“Well, about two years ago, you disappeared off the face of the earth.” They stated bluntly. After a nudge from Perry, they continued. “We went insane, we spent months looking for you, with no trace, and we followed every lead we could grab on to. We ended up digging into The Gears so far we were arrested for spying on private groups, we weren’t charged, thank Edison.”

“Why were you investigating Gears?” Laura asked.

Kirsch answered before LaFontaine could. “Well when the report was released about your disappearance and eventual cold case, the man who spoke for the investigators was a High Gear, but it didn’t say what division he was from or what company he worked for. Why was a Gear looking into your disappearance, so it stunk of foul play, right? So we looked into him and made a few enemies along the way and found no information, then we were arrested and almost charged if it wasn’t for Carm-sexy over there.”

Carmilla glared at Kirsch for the nickname, she answered the question lingering in Laura’s expression. “My sister was in town and she’d caught word of three troublemakers doing some digging where they shouldn’t have been, so I asked her to get them out of The Cell and after she did I got a message to them to offer my help in return for something else.”

“What was the help you needed?”

“Taking down the woman who did this to us.” Carmilla stated.

Laura nodded as she took the information in. “Why do I feel different?”

Perry spoke next. “From what we could get Carmilla to tell us, and the signs of what they did to you, we think they’ve been interfering with your blood.”

Laura heart constricted, her blood was _everything_ to her.

“They didn’t touch your Omega from what we can tell” LaFontaine interrupted, knowing what Laura was thinking.

“But they may have introduced other types into your body to see what effect it will have on you, so we don’t actually know what’s happening to you yet; this hasn’t exactly been done before.” Perry finished.

“When I fought- Carmilla, is it? I noticed that I’m faster, and I may have broken a door handle when I first woke up here?

Kirsch nodded.

Carmilla moved closer and leaned on the end of Laura’s bed. “Congratulations, cutie, you’re the first four way mix in existence. You’re carrying Alpha, Beta, Sigma and Omega blood.”

Laura’s eyes widened. “What does that mean for me?”

LaFontaine’s facial expression didn’t change. “We’re not sure. By the time you hit your Surge and your abilities flourish, the changes should have settled, but too much activity might have some consequences.”

“If I can’t get this under control in time, it’s going to kill me, isn’t it?”

Nobody answered, but the lingering silence was undoubtedly a confirmation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for the sake of trying to minimize the already alarming amount of info-dumping, The Gears are a privatized group of police essentially, or people to do the company's dirty work within the unenforced law. They're usually corrupt and power hungry since they gave up being decent people for money, but the government officials are too in the pockets of these corporations to do anything about these groups.
> 
> I hope this wasn't too bad, feel free to yell at me if it is.

**Author's Note:**

> So there you go, the introductory chapter!
> 
> I hope you liked it, there's been a story-shaped hole in the back of my mind for a while now, please let me know what you think. I know there isn't much here but it is merely an introduction.


End file.
